ANGEL'S KISS (A Dark Angel's Novel) (18 page)

“Another? What…How did I get here? Why am I here?” I was confused and I sounded like an idiot. He waved his hand at the waiter, dismissing him for the moment.

“Qadesh, I could feel your unease and fear. I am eternally grateful you survived the attack.” His voice took on a menacing tone as he continued. “This minion who attacked you was a rogue. Please accept my apologies. I would have ended him if I had known of his intentions. I would never willingly let another harm you.”

He pulled his sunglasses down and let his eyes rove over my body as if I were a prize, then met my gaze. “I must admit, your resourcefulness surprised me, and I assure you, I am very rarely surprised.” His eyes were such a deep brown that they almost looked black. Even without the black liner as decoration, they were magnetic. I was frozen and wanted to just melt back into the seat while he looked into my eyes.

A sudden breeze made me tingle, and I broke his gaze to look down at myself. My skin was as deliciously tanned as it would be in the middle of July. Shiny gold chains and bangle bracelets draped my arms and wrists, and a delicate gold belly chain graced my navel. A skimpy bikini bottom covered only my most delicate parts.

Then another breeze passed over me, and I realized that I was topless, to boot.

“Stop messing with my mind!” I pulled my legs into my chest, making myself as small as possible while trying to shield my body. Shit! No wonder he was looking at me as if I were a yummy jelly donut.

I put my hands against my temples and closed my eyes. Wake up, wake up, wake up I chanted to myself.

“I can feel your fear and confusion as if it were my own. I only wanted to provide you with a sabbatical. You seemed to enjoy this memory so much; I sought to give you a moment of peace and happiness.”

“Honey?” Alan’s voice called as if from a great distance. I kept chanting, Wake up, wake up, wake up.

“Qadesh, my name is Ellasar Terrimun Antonius Creticus. I am a very patient man. I have waited hundreds of years for you. I will release you from this reverie now, but remember: I can help you understand who you are.”

He was gone.

“Honey, wake up!” Alan’s voice again. Slightly closer this time, but still out of reach. “Honey, are you all right? Lexie, answer me!” He shook my shoulders until my head felt like a bobble doll.

“Stop shaking me. I’m awake.” I pushed his hands off. The look in his eyes was a mixture of fear and exhaustion. Alan didn’t need to know any of this. “I’m fine, just tired. We haven’t gotten much sleep in the last couple of days and now the fire.”

He still looked like he thought he should call the hospital shrink. I guess I couldn’t blame him. “What’s up? Do you need me downstairs?” I tried to sound normal.

He stared into my eyes for a moment longer than necessary and shook off his concern. Whether he believed I was sane or he just wanted to forget the last few days, I didn’t know.

“Ottie’s on the phone for you. He wanted to check in since you didn’t show up at the office today. Do you want to talk to him now, or do you want to call him back?”

I’m sure my expression matched his. I forced all my fear and confusion down into a deep hole so I could look up at him with a clean slate.

“Thanks, hon, I’ll take it now if he’s still on the phone.” I threw in a stretch and a yawn for good measure before I pushed to my feet. My acting seemed to convince him. He picked up the phone from the nightstand beside the chair.

“I doubt if he’s still there. It took me five minutes to wake you up. I think he was at the office if you want to call him back.” As he handed me the phone he added, “Lexie, we need to talk about calling Dr. Beacon. He needs to know about these dreams.” He turned to go back downstairs and added, “Did you get any answers from B today?”

“Nah, not really. Just more BS. Ha!” I chuckled for effect. “You know, same old B. Besides, it was just a dream last night. Too much stress, that’s all.”

Tears threatened as I understood why B had told me not to tell Alan anything: he wouldn’t believe me. He’d think I was crazy and try to have me medicated. I couldn’t really blame him. If he tried to convince me that dragons were real, I’d use all my power to get him help.

“Thanks for handling things downstairs. I’ll be down to help as soon as I talk to the office.”

“Sure, Lex, you can take over once you’ve taken care of everything at the office.” He yelled back as he went down the stairs. Poor guy, he’s probably exhausted, too.

Maybe I am crazy. I sat down, put my head in my hands, and took a deep breath. I could still taste the limoncello on my breath and smell the salt from the ocean on my skin. Shit! If I looked, would I have tan lines from the bikini bottom? That might come in handy in January when I needed a little color.

That’s it, baby, make lemonade. I could hear my father reminding me to stay positive. He’d always found the positive in any situation. How about limoncello, Dad?

I stood and stretched. That little nap really had helped. I felt much better, especially considering I’d been a human battering ram earlier. I dialed the office, catching a glimpse of the photo Alan had taken of me during our Italian vacation. I’d been sitting on the deck of the boat we rented in Positano. I really do love limoncello. Thanks for the visit, Ellasar.

Writing On The Glass

Ottie burst on the phone with his usual flare. “Damn girl, you try’n to set some kind a record for the most shit that can happen to a person in one week?”

I smiled into the phone. “Yeah. Do you think I need to get my hair done before they take my picture for the Guinness book?”

His laughter filled the line and then he turned serious. “How are you hold’n up? The guys at the station called me and filled me in about the fire.”

“I’ll make it. I can’t say the same for my sun room. Hey, at least Dennis will have a great insurance job to tide him over the holidays.”

I heard dad in my head again: That’s it, baby, find the silver lining.

“So what’s going on at the office?”

Ottie told me that the police had gotten nowhere with their investigation into the Janeck murders. They hadn’t located any relatives to identify the bodies. They hadn’t found a head for the female torso. And they didn’t have much in the way of ideas.

One theory was that maybe Philip had been cheating. Mrs. Janeck found them there and killed them, taking the head and leaving the necklace so everyone would assume the victim was her. I knew that theory was a waste. But what did it hurt to let the police chase their tails? If he was busy, at least Maloran would stay off my back. Besides, I had enough to do without worrying about the police.

Ottie mentioned that Riley was doing great and that the details were fading some now that he’d had time to process it all. At first I was relieved to hear it. Then I remembered what B had said this morning: Maybe the memory is already fading from his mind. Had she been speaking literally when she said that? I’d have to ask her.

Devon
had had no luck tracing my phone. Imagine that. I told Ottie to tell him to just let it go. I wondered how much information Ellasar could get from my phone. A simple password wouldn’t stop someone who’d found my middle name and could visit me in my dreams. He said that he’d been waiting for me. How long had he known about me? Had he known my mother? Hell, did he know what I am? Maybe I should ask him some questions the next time I see him. He did say he had answers.

I shook my head. Nope. I hope I never see him again. He’s too tempting. Why did his voice affect me so much?

The sun was setting when Alan came to check on me. “Hon?” His voice was timid.

“What’s it looking like down there?” He must have seen the apprehension on my face because his answer was delicate.

“It’ll be fine, babe. We needed to replace that old glass anyway. Dennis will make it better than before. You know he can’t do anything halfway.” He’s right. My brother is an all-or-nothing kind of guy. He’ll want to make the room bigger and add a fancy stone floor or expensive cabinets or something.

“I’ll try to keep him reined in.” I smiled up at Alan.

“Come on. I’ll take you out to dinner.” He reached for me, and oddly, I hesitated to touch him. Just being oversensitive, I guess. I brushed off the feeling and placed my hand in his so he could pull me up and into a big hug. “Where to, my lady?” he said when he released me.

“Now that you mention it, I’m starving. I’d love some pasta. How about Tony’s?” My eyes lit up at the thought of gnocchi with pesto sauce, and my stomach growled in anticipation.

“It sounds like your stomach has decided. Get cleaned up and I’ll see if Enzo can fit us in.” He took the phone and shooed me off toward the bathroom. I heard him speaking to Enzo as I closed the door.

I didn’t really need to get clean, but a shower might help me get out of the funk I was in. I turned on the hot water, enjoying the hot mist of the spray, and got undressed. Then my hand went to the foggy glass, and I watched as my finger traced a word in the steam.

Qadesh.

I pulled my hand back and in a low voice snarled, “Get out of my head!”

“What? Hon, does your head hurt? Do you need some Motrin or some migraine meds?”

I hadn’t realized that Alan had come in. “No, I’m fine. Just talking to myself, you know me.” I threw in a giggle to hide my fear. I was grateful that he couldn’t see my eyes—he’d have noticed the fear and dread. I put my face into the hot spray and leaned my hands on the wall until the tremors that washed through me could pass. Just as I felt in control again, Alan joined me. His hands went directly to my tense shoulders.

“Lex, you really need a massage. Do you want me to schedule one for tomorrow? You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know. Why don’t you let me take care of you more?”

The tension in my shoulders eased as Alan’s hands worked their magic. I was thankful that he didn’t seem to notice my tears as they mixed with the hot water. His arms encircled my waist and as he pulled me back into his body, I could feel the long, strong length of him, silky smooth and hard as iron. Desire fogged my mind. Lust surged through me, leaving my fear and anger in its wake. Nothing else mattered but the touch of his hands and the heat created by our skin.

I moved my hips against him as the quiver of delicate muscles around my womb sent an electrical tingle through my body and back to my core. I tilted my head back and released a gut-tightening moan. Alan responded by wrapping his arms tighter around my waist and drawing me closer. I could feel him hardening, throbbing against me. I wanted to turn around and hold him, but he held me firmly. I could feel his breath on my neck as he tasted my skin. His little nibbles quickly turned into sharp little bites, sending a tingling sensation directly to my nipples. As they hardened, I begged for more, and he obliged. The bites became more violent, and tiny shocks raced through me from my nipples to my already tight womb. The hard spray of the water beating against me only intensified my need.

Alan growled, driving me to press my hips into him harder. Using the wall for leverage, I managed to get closer to what I wanted. Alan’s hands released my waist and cupped my breasts, squeezing my hard nipples between his fingers. I could feel the heat rising in my body, tightening and building. I needed. My hands covered his and added to the pressure just enough to drive myself crazy. Then I guided Alan’s hand down to my swollen center.

As he cupped my mound, his fingers just brushing over the delicate folds, I felt an intense heaviness, building for release. His movements were gentle and precise as he brushed over my swollen flesh. Oh God, I could feel myself softening and becoming wet under his touch. Between one breath and the next I came.

The power of the orgasm consumed me and if Alan hadn’t held me up I would have fallen. I writhed in pleasure, but it wasn’t enough. I still needed to have him inside me. As soon as my strength returned I turned and took him into my hands. He was so thick and hard, velvet over stone. I’d never felt him so hard. My body still rippled from the orgasm, but the hunger to have all of him drove me. I needed him to fill me.

I pulled us back against the wall. As he bent to taste my mouth, I hungrily grabbed his shoulders and hefted myself up. He understood and put his hands under me as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Alan, I can’t wait, please!” I begged. As he tried to tease me with just the tip, I forced my hips down, impaling myself. We smacked back against the wall and I could feel the tip of him touching the very end of my body. It was an incredible mix of pleasure and pain.

With each thrust an electric jolt seared me, creating the sensation of goose bumps from the inside out. He thrust faster, and the tension and heat in my body pooled again. As I raced toward my own release, I felt his final push. His breath caught and his body went rigid with pleasure.

On the brink of my own climax, my muscles tightened around him, squeezing his iron-hard shaft. I was desperate for my own release. My hand slid down between us toward the delicate bundle of nerves just above our joined bodies. I was so close. I only needed a little touch to push me into my own climax. Alan caught my hand before I could reach my goal.

“All good things are worth waiting for.” His voice was as deep and silky as maple syrup.